1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to duck decoys and, more specifically, to an animated duck decoy that closely resembles the appearance and movements of real ducks.
2. Brief Description of Prior Art
Decoys have long been used by hunters to attract ducks. In fact, the use of decoys to attract water fowl is an ancient practice. Typically, prior art decoys float on the surface of a body of water. A relatively recent development in the art of duck decoys has been to provide some means for moving all or part of the decoy, the objective to provide a decoy which appears more natural to water fowl such as ducks or geese. Duck decoys which are colored more like real ducks and with surfaces textured to resembled feathers are common in modern times. Also, as mentioned, attempts have been made to develop decoys with motorized movements which closely resemble the natural movements of a duck, however, such attempts have mostly fallen short.
Some examples of animated decoys have included pendulum motion to stimulate a moving tail, which understandably proved to be unlike the real thing. Others have employed an electrical solenoid to cause motion. Solenoids tend to be noisy and jerky due to the fast pull of the magnetic coil within the solenoids. Still others include noisy mechanisms to stimulate movement wherein the noise scares the animals away rather than attracting them.
As can be seen, there is a continued need for a duck decoy that closely resembles the natural movements of a duck.